Ancient Greek literature was written in an Ancient Greek dialect. This literature ranges from the oldest surviving written works until works from approximately the fifth century CE. This time period is divided into the Preclassical, Classical, Hellenistic, and Roman periods. Preclassical Greek literature primarily revolved around myths and include the works of
Homer; the Iliad and the Odyssey. The
Classical period saw the dawn of drama and history.Three philosophers are especially notable:
Socrates,
Plato, and
Aristotle. During the Roman era, significant contributions were made in a variety of subjects, including history, philosophy, and the sciences.

Ancient Greek literature (800 BCE-350 CE)

Ancient Greek literature refers to literature written in Ancient Greek dialects. These works range from the oldest surviving written works in the
Greek language until works from the fifth century CE. The Greek language arose from the
proto-Indo-European language; roughly two-thirds of its words can be derived from various reconstructions of the tongue. A number of
alphabets and
syllabaries had been used to render Greek, but surviving Greek literature was written in a
Phoenician-derived alphabet that arose primarily in Greek
Ionia and was fully adopted by
Athens by the fifth century BCE.[1]

Preclassical (800 BCE-500 BCE)

The Greeks created poetry before making use of writing for literary purposes. Poems created in the Preclassical period were meant to be sung or recited (writing was little known before the 7th century BCE). Most poems focused on myths, legends that were part folktale and part religion. Tragedies and comedies emerged around 600 BCE.[2]

At the beginning of Greek literature stand the works of
Homer; the Iliad and the Odyssey. Though dates of composition vary, these works were fixed around 800 BCE
or after. Another significant figure was the poet
Hesiod. His two surviving works are Works and Days and Theogony.

The comedy arose from a ritual in honor of
Dionysus. These plays were full of obscenity, abuse, and insult. The surviving plays by
Aristophanes are a treasure trove of comic presentation.

Two influential historians of this age are
Herodotus and
Thucydides. A third historian,
Xenophon, wrote "Hellenica," which is considered an extension of Thucydides's work.[5]

The greatest prose achievement of the 4th century BC was in philosophy.
Greek philosophy flourished during the classical period. Of the philosophers,
Socrates,
Plato, and
Aristotle are the most famous.

Hellenistic (323 BCE-31 BCE)

By 338 BCE many of the key Greek cities had been conquered by
Philip II of Macedon. Philip II's son
Alexander extended his father's conquests greatly.

The Hellenistic age is defined as the time between the death of Alexander the Great and the rise of Roman domination. After the 3rd century BCE, the Greek colony of
Alexandria in northern
Egypt became the center of Greek culture.

Eratosthenes of Alexandria wrote on
astronomy and
geography, but his work is known mainly from later summaries. The physician
Galen pioneered developments in various scientific disciplines including anatomy, physiology, pathology, pharmacology, and neurology.